Cheese-cutting machine



w. FAEHNDRICH.

CHEESE CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION EILED NOV. 24, 1919.

2 Patented May 18, 1920. I W

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM FAEHNDRICI-I, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CHEESE-CUTTING MACHINE.

Application filed November 24, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM FAEHNDRIGH, a citizen of Germany, residing at 668 Bergen avenue, New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cheese-Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a device for cutting cakes of cheese or the like, and has for its object, to provide a device where by such cakes can be readily and quickly cut up into slices or pieces of a desired uniform weight.

My device isparticularly designed for use in retail stores, where it is desired to dispense cheese or similar articles in pieces of a predetermined weight and where the articles, when purchased from the wholesaler come in the form of big round cakes of certain weights.

Hitherto, the retailer in order to dispense cheese or the like cuts off at random a piece or pieces and weighs them until the desired weight is received. This frequently leads to short weights or to a good deal of waste and consumes time and labor.

With my novel device, it is possible to divide or cut up a whole piece or cake of cheese or the like into substantially uniform pieces, to the exact weight desired, without the necessity of weighing the individual pieces.

lVith this and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing in which similar reference characters denote corresponding parts, Figure 1 is an elevation of my device, Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof and Fig 8 is a partial vertical central section of the device.

Referring to the drawing more in detail, my device comprises a base a, in form of a disk or circular plate, made of wood or other suitable material, a mantle I), of sheet metal or other suitable flexible but stiff material, and a guide 0, for a knife or blade g. The guide 0 is in form of a cylindrical post split centrally and longitudinally to form a slot 0, which extends from the upper end of the post to a point near the bottom end thereof. This post is adapted to be rotatively mounted in the base a. To this end I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18,1920. Serial no. 340,357.

provide in the center of the base a socket a, to receive a ball bearing d, in which the enlarged lower end 0 of the vpost c is rotatlvely borne. The post is adapted to extend through a central opening a of the base upwardly and to project a suitable distance away from the upper face of the base a. The socket a may be made accessible for the insertion of the ball bearing and the post 0 by a removable cover a attached by screws 6 or the like to the lower surface of the base (Fig. 3). The upper end of the slot 0' is somewhat widened to form a mouth as at 0 which will enable the knife 9 to be easily inserted into the slot 0'. The knife 9 may be an ordinary blade having a handle g at each end, or only on one end.

The mantle b is adapted to be mounted around the periphery of the base and is provided with a plurality of parallel vertical slots 6 b 5 etc, arranged equidistantly relative to one another and extending from the upper edge of the mantle to a point near the bottom thereof. These slots are made of a width to be slightly larger than the thickness of the blade. When the latter is moved downwardly along the slot 0 of the post 0 and a slot of the mantle, it will produce an even radial cut inthe cake which rests on the base.

In order to permit the mantle being adjusted according to the number of pieces to be cut, the mantle is made adjustable by splittin it vertically along one of the slots as at 5. One edge of the split portion of the mantle is provided with a circumferential extension Z) which is adapted to overlap the adjoining edge of the mantle and which, by means of a set screw it and thumb nut it and an oblong slot b in the mantle can be adjustably fixed according to the ad justment desired. The article f to be cut into individualpieces is cut out in the center for the passage of the post 0 so that it may be conveniently placed on to the base a.

If now it is desired to divide the cake into individual pieces of uniform size or weight, the blade 9 is inserted with one end or its center into the slot 0 of the post and while turning it together with the post it is moved downwardly successively passing its end or ends through the different slots of the mantle. For example, if a cake weiglr ing six pounds is to be divided into individual pieces each of 3; pound, the mantle is adjusted so that there will be 24 slots and while the blade is operated and turned with the post around the center of the cake, it is passed successively through the different slots of the mantle. If a cake of 53- pounds is to be divided into pieces of lpound the mantle is adjusted so that there will be only 23 slots, this adjustment being made by correspondingly decreasing the diameter of the mantle.

By a still greater tightening or drawing together of the mantle the number of slots will be further decreased, and so on.

The mantle is held in position against the base by suitable clamping screws '5 or the like.

In case the cake is to be divided into an even number of pieces a knife such as shown in Fig. 2, having a. handle at each end may be used. In such case the blade is centrally guided in the slot 0 and engages with both ends simultaneously diametrically opposed slots of the mantle, so that two outs may be made at once. In case when an odd number of pieces are to be cut, a blade having a handle only at one end is used. In such case the inner end of the blade is engaged in the slot 0 of the post, while the outer end of the bladewill be passed through one slot of the mantle at a time.

The different sections of the mantle may be marked with figures denoting the different weights of the article, so that the user may be able to readily adjust the mantle to.

the extent necessary without figuring. Thus in the example shown, the different sections of the mantle are consecutively marked with the figures 6, 59;, 51} beginning with the section located at one end of the severed portion of the mantle as at 7:: in Fig. 1.

In order to adjust the mantle according to the weight of the individual pieces desired, all the user has to do is to draw the mantle together until the section at one end of the severed portion registers with the sections bearing the particular weight of the cake to be cut up. If i. e. the cake happens to weigh 57}; pounds, the mantle is drawn together until the end section on the right coincides with the section on the left bearing the figure 5%.

As the device may be modified in various ways by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, I do not wish to restrict myself to the details described and shown.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for cutting cakes of cheese or the like into individual pieces of uniform weight, the combination with a knife, of a base, a rotary member supported centrally in said base and having a vertical guide for said knife, and a stationary cylindrical and adjustable member mounted around said base and having a plurality of equidistantly arranged parallel vertical guides for said knife.

2. In a device for cutting cakes of cheese or the like into individual pieces of uniform weight, the combination with a knife, of a base, a rotary member supported centrally in said base and having a vertical guide for said knife, a stationary cylindrical and adjustable member mounted around said base and having a plurality of equidistantly arranged parallel vertical guides for said knife and means for the removable attachment of said member to said base.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' WILLIAM FAEHNDRICH.

lVitnesses Josnrn T. MGMAHON, MAX D. ORDMANN. 

